Documents / FOIA release

FBI file: UFO, UFO Part 13

Federal Bureau of Investigation · 148 pages · text by OCR

This Federal Bureau of Investigation file section collects 1954 to 1961 correspondence and memoranda about flying saucers. Most of it concerns the Detroit Flying Saucer Club, which the Detroit office reported on from informants and chose not to investigate, while Bureau headquarters said saucer matters belonged to the Air Force. It also includes public letters to J. Edgar Hoover, a 1955 North Carolina sighting report, Leonard Stringfield's 1961 anonymous warning call, and policy reviews that restate the practice of referring reports to the Air Force.

  • p. 49 …regarding the photo graphs showing UFO's in formational flight, which you mention were taken by…
  • p. 53 JET "EXPLODES" CHASING UFO NEAR UTICA, N.Y.: The gamy but saucer phobic press tried pitting…
  • p. 96 …The has been investigating UFO and flying saucer sightings since August 1953. We have a State…
  • p. 97 …Bureau files reveal an inquiry from 1959, regarding the investigation of UFO. He was informed the…
  • p. 98 …SA did not interview merely for the purpose of writing "a memorandum for the files" but…
  • p. 104 …the files." Volunteered the following: "If the FBI has any such data on UFO sightings, it…
  • p. 127 …He also told me he was going to prepare a "memorandum for the files" on this…
  • p. 128 …He instructed me to advise you that the confidential nature of our files will preclude complying…
  • p. 129 …concerning UFOs. That agency submitted a copy of that correspondence to the FBI, Norfolk. Files further…
  • p. 130 …Fort Eustis, Virginia, advised SA that files in her possession reflect that who was born, 2…
  • p. 135 …linked with the afore mentioned ufos? If not, are the files on these cases open to…
lly ref. 11-4

Re: Unidentified Flying Objects.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington 25, D.C.

Dear Sirs,

FLYING SAUCER

Would you be so kind as to advise me whether or not it is the usual procedure for agents of the FBI to investigate reports of unidentified flying objects which have been seen on the ground.

In several recent cases, agents of the FBI have been present when USAF investigators from local AFBs in the vicinity of the landing site have carried out their investigations. Would you also advise me whether it would be possible to obtain copies of reports made by agents of their findings. One case which I do have a personal interest in was the La Madera April 26, 1964 case where a age 35, of La Madera and Santa Fe, New Mexico, reported to that he had observed an unidentified object approximately 500 feet from his home. The following day, Agent of the FBI and Major of Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque inspected the site. Can you advise me of Agent findings at the site?

I realise that your department is probably more concerned with federal crime, however, I cannot understand why it has concerned itself with cases which are normally undertaken by the USAF as a matter of National Defence.

This letter is not intended as a letter of criticism but more of a general inquiry. REG 131 62-83891-442

Trusting that this will receive your early attention.

EX 109rs faithfully.

Cases discussed

About this file

FOIA release, from the fbi-vault collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. The text was read from the page images by an OCR model; expect the odd misread word. 148 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.